Thanks Anyways
by blue assembly
Summary: It's the Fourth of July, and nobody bothered to come. Well, almost nobody that is. [ RusAme. Fluff. Twoshot. ]
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks Anyways**

_This story contains boy x boy, don't like don't read. Fluff awaits!_

* * *

"Huh?" Came the response of a mildly confused America, who was still clutching his party invites.

England sighed. "I said, I can't make it. There's more important fares to tend to, I've got a lot to do." There was a small pause. "Actually, you do too. Those papers that I assigned to you need to be returned on Friday, or else there's going to be problems." The thick-browed nation crossed his arms, eyeing his former colony accusingly.

"I know, man, they're like... Halfway done. But listen, I really think you should show up and-"

"And what? Eat fatty foods?" England shook his head and sighed, pushing his chair back from the conference table as he made to stand up. "Maybe next year, yeah? But right now I've really got to go. See you soon, Alfred." And with that, the shorter Englishman brushed off the front of his jacket and left the large room without another word.

America only watched England go, glancing down at the thin stack of invitations that he'd passed out earlier that morning. Everyone was less than happy to receive one, some even sneaking away to dump the slip of paper into the trash bins. He'd really been hoping he could appeal to the other countries this year with even _cooler_ party favors, but nobody even gave a second glance. Not even Arthur. Not even _Canada._

Standing up, America laid his chin on his chest as he began to slowly fumble with the cards. Just like last year, nobody was going to appear. If he asked, he'd get some lame response, he just knew it. With heavy legs, the blonde country shuffled over to the trash and ungracefully dumped his invites into it. No use in keeping them, right? The rest were in there anyways, it's not like it made a difference.

"So much for having a good birthday," he mumbled to himself, stuffing his hands into his bomber jacket as he slowly made his way out the large double doors.

OOOO

It was much later into the night that America had heard his doorbell ring, interrupting one of his favorite sitcoms. Putting down his tub of Rocky Road icecream (which was actually quite difficult to eat all of, but for this occasion he would allow it), the blonde readjusted Texas on his nose and began his slow trek to the front door. Sighing, America reflexively flattened out any wrinkles in his tacky jacket before reaching out to clutch at the knob and swing the door open.

Now, he would've expected anyone to be standing there, small gift in hand. China, Germany, Italy... Anybody, really. Just not this person... _Anyone_ besides this person.

"Russia?" America frowned, eyebrows pulling together. He scrutinized the other blonde's expression, how cheery he was. The smile he had, though eerie, was genuine.

"Happy birthday, Aмерика!" The larger country greeted, gloved hands thrusting out a small and plainly wrapped present.

Though stunned, the American sluggishly grabbed the gift that was pushed into his chest. "Why are you here...?"

The violet eyed man seemed miffed, tilting his head to the side. "Jou vere not passing out invites at the conference?" The Russian pursed his bottom lip, the action oozing fake innocence. "I did not get one. Jou vound me."

"_Then why did you show up?_" America asked, voice now exasperated. It was true that after the Cold War his opinion on the larger man had changed, and that he didn't invite the slate-haired for his childish distaste towards him.

"Knew dhat no one else vould come." There was a twinkle in those purple irises. "Just like alvays, да? It is a sad sight."

The smaller nation puffed up, sticking his chest out as he opened his mouth to retort. "Y..You missed it, dude. Everybody showed up! It was great. Stayed for the fireworks too, so awesome." He smiled, but knew that the Ruski could see right through it.

Russia dropped his smile then, eyes scanning every inch of the American's expression. "Do not lie, Aмерика. It is okay, dhis is vhy I do not tell my birthday to others. Saves disappointment." He regained his creepy smile then, patting the shorter man on the shoulder. "But I brought jou some'ting, so not every'vun has forgotten jou're birthday." He pointed an index finger at the small box, causing the American to glance down at it.

"What is it?" America murmured, deciding not the argue with the older nation.

"Open it."

The blonde began twisting his moving his hands, examining the present. He placed it close to his ear and shook, making the other country grimace.

"It is better dhat you do not shake," he encouraged, causing America to blush embarrassedly. "Be very gendle, was not easy to get vhere I am from."

America nodded then, looking back down at the box again. As he weighed it, he realized it was incredibly light. '_Wow, the one present I get and it's from Russia of all people.'_ "You... You didn't have to," he sighed, looking back up with saddened eyes.

Russia smiled. "да, I know. Now open it."

The demanding tone made America flinch slightly, but he did as he was told and slowly peeled away the wrapping. Despite its dull appearance, Russia did not disappoint with decorations. The gray paper was elegantly tucked and folded expertly, not a crooked crease visible. Once he'd managed to unwrap everything, the blonde now held a thin plastic box, with intricate designs laid across the sides. That wasn't what interested the American though. No, what caught his breath was the large, bright yellow sunflower centered delicately in the middle of the container, colors the most vibrant that America had ever seen. The stem was missing, but it only gave the big pretty flower a more broach-like appearance. It looked like something a boy would give to his prom date.

"Ivan, it's..." America whispered, smile finally tugging at the corners of his mouth as he examined the flower. "Did you...?"

"Grow it? нет." Russia watched as smaller blonde ogled the sunflower, smile of his own in place. "Not by my hand. Vas grown in my coundry, though."

America stared at the gift, not noticing that his face was wet till a sweep of wind chilled his damp cheeks. Shaking his head, he reached up with an arm and scrubbed the tears away. "I-" He tried to talk, but the lump in his throat blocked his voice from forming comprehendible words. Instead, a small sob tore it way out of his throat, and he instantly looked away.

Russia's eyebrows pulled together in concern, smile falling. "Comrade? Vhat is it?" He reached forward, and was pleasantly surprised to see the other super power not shy away for once. Placing a hand on his shoulder, the larger man gently drew America into a feather-light embrace.

Any other time, Alfred would've backed away and spewed various insults at the paler man. But as he was tugged into a hug- a hug that wasn't polite or unwanted- it wasn't a surprise that he clung to the tall nation and buried his face into the lapel's of his jacket. "Y-You're the only one who cared enough to come," he cried, voice muffled by the fabric. "J..J-Just you!"

"Shh, Aмерика. It is okay," the Russian soothed, pleased to see the other country clasp onto him like a lifeline. It was nice to feel wanted. "я забочусь. это нормально..." He ran a hand through the smaller blonde's hair in an attempt to calm him.

Though not acquainted with the other man's native tongue, his words were relaxing and almost made Alfred feel... Better? They weren't cursed at him like they were so many times before, and it nearly startled America out of his wits when he felt the larger nation's hand slide into his hair... And _stroke_ it, instead of rip it out.

Russia smiled again as he listened to the sobs die down to nothing but sniffles, continuing to play with the golden strands of hair. "It is late," he murmured after a while, twisting a lock between his thumb and index finger. "I must go soon, to catch a flight in the morning."

Still not pulling away, America kept his cheek pressed against Russia's chest as he answered. "Why?"

A childish laugh filled the air. "Because I 'ave been in jou're coundry for three weeks, and I need to tend to my own soon, да?"

"Yeah... Okay.." There was a sigh, before the smaller blonde pulled away and the two shared a content look; though Russia's gazes were always somewhat intimidating.

Ivan began to move away then, slowly stepping back as he made to leave the front of Alfred's house. A hand shout out, unexpectedly grasping onto Russia's arm.

"Hey..! Wait, I uhm... I just want to say thanks.. You know?" America looked down at the boxed sunflower in his hand, before glancing back up at the other nation. "For showing up and for the present." He smiled, which was mutually returned as always. "But if you tell anyone about 'that', I'll kill you."

Russia laughed then, shaking his head. "I vould not put it past jou, подсолнечника." Stepping closer, he leaned down to America's height and placed a kiss on the shorter man's forehead. "Vell, until next time, Aмерика. Goodbye, and happy birthday." Pulling away, He smiled warmly (which was hard for the older man to do, since he was usually as cold as ice) and began to walk away towards where his car sat on the curb.

America only gawked, hand coming up to touch the spot on his forehead that had blossomed into a flower of warmth. He watched as his former enemy then drove away, surprised at the other man's actions.. But definitely not complaining. Clutching the sunflower close to his heart, America smiled and turned around to trudge back into house.

He supposed this year's birthday wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

_Dude I ship it like it's FedEx. RnR if you like? c:_

_да - yes/yeah_

_нет - no_

_Aмерика - America_

_я забочусь - I care_

_это нормально - it's okay_

_подсолнечника - sunflower_

_Sorry for any translation issues! I don't speak Russian hehe._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks Anyways**

_Part two-couldn't resist not making this a two-shot you know? Same as before, boy x boy, DlDr._

_-To-be-introduced character/OC brief appearance?-_

* * *

America sighed, cheek in palm. He'd been here for like, _two hours_, and nobody mentioned anything about his country yet... Which wasn't fun, if he was honest. He'd attempt to toss his two cents in here and there, but nobody really liked to acknowledge that he agreed or disagreed or even _breathed_ the same air as they did. Ugh.. He was starting to feel like Canada.

"...erica... America!"

The blonde instantly shot up, clammy glove painfully ripping away from his cheek as he sat ramrod straight in his office chair. He began to blink and search for the source of the voice, stopping short as an angry England cleared his throat at the front of the conference room. Wincing, America turned to look at the older nation.

"How _hard_ is it to listen for once? You sit there in some sort of daze while others are trying to speak and have your attention. You _need_ this information, you git!" The Englishman fumed, arms crossed and lips pressed into a tight line. He held an Expo marker, most likely drawing some sort of diagram before he'd called his former colony out.

America ducked down, face breaking out in flames. It wasn't like him to act this way, really, but today he felt a little off. He hadn't eaten since the night before, or bothered to brush up on appearance before the meeting. Hell, he even wore the same outfit from the previous day; just with that '50' jacket to cover up any mess he might have made on his button up shirt. A murmured 'Right', was all that he managed to slip out.

England cleared his throat then, twirling the marker between his fingers. "... Alright, well. Looks like time is out today, lot. We'll be picking up on current events next week, yeah? See you all soon." And with a brief smile, the shorter blonde shuffled back to his spot at the table, neatly packing his stuff away.

It took a few moments before America began to move, groaning as his muscles ached with the effort. He reached for his briefcase and began to sloppily pack everything away, cramming notes and wrinkled papers into the cramped space and attempting to click it shut. "Dammit.." He whispered, and with a strength unlike the rest, pinched the lock shut hard enough to crack the plastic and dent the metal.

"Jou 'ave got an odd trait, да?" Came an amused voice from behind him.

Gasping, America spun around and reached up to clutch at his chest; eyes wide and mouth parted. His gaze fixated on the tall figure of Russia, who he noticed was standing unnervingly close. "Goddamn, dude! Warn a guy!" A shaky laugh was released as the blonde ran a hand through his hair; a habit he picked up during the Cold War. Russia, no matter how, always managed to keep him on edge.

The silver-haired country smiled childishly, violet eyes flickering between the ruined briefcase and America's own orbs of blue. "идиот. Now jou vill need to buy a new one. Dhey do not come cheap, jou know."

America smiled back, the action seemingly easier to do than before. "Yeah. I'll just go borrow one of Iggy's or something."

"Ah, so lazy! Typical Amerikan standards, да? Vhy buy one vhen you can borrow!" He grinned wider as his tone became one of playful mockery, interested in how it made the smaller man squirm unhappily.

America only grumbled, turning around and reaching out to grasp the handle of his case. He scowled as it clunked beside his knee, painfully smacking against it. "Don't you have somewhere to be or something?" He asked.

A giggle. " Америка does not seem to like my company." There was a small hum as the Russian thought. "Vell... Alright, I shall leave. We can talk some other time, as I am sure jou do not have much on jou're hands." The knowing smile seemed to melt through his sentence, sinking into the American's heart as he realized the meaning behind these words. " позднее, comrade!"

There was the sound of heavy boots clunking against solid wooden floors as Russia retreated, opening the doors to swiftly escape into the cool London air.

America released the breath he'd been holding, reaching up to rub at his forehead almost stressfully. What was getting him lately? It couldn't have been these meetings, could it? Was it Russia? The big guy wasn't bugging him lately, so maybe not...

As the blonde began to walk, a dark aura came over him. That same feeling a few months ago was beginning to resurface again, the feeling of... Loneliness. Nobody really needed him, except maybe Canada... But they were brothers! And even now they were sort of distant, what with his twin's sudden 'maturity', as he called it. Perhaps it was just a phase? Mattie was always-

"Oof!" Grunted a slightly smaller nation, the impact of them both colliding sent either one of them to the floor. "Daft moron, watch where yer goin'!"

With a pained moan, America began to sit up and rub at his now aching head. "What... Oh," an awkward chuckle filtered through the American's lips as he focused his blurry gaze on the redhead before him. "Sorry, Ireland."

The shorter nation only hissed, clutching at his knee as he fixed America with his eyes, which were a piercing unreal green. "Aye. Next time I ought to beat ye down for bein' so careless, bugger." With a grunt, the Irishman began to sit up, slowly getting to his feet. He sniffed and bent down to brush his uniform off, before reaching over to offer America a hand. "Actually, I've been wanting to speak with ye."

America sighed and accepted his hand, huffing as he was helped to his feet. "About what?"

"The big lad. Russia," Ireland replied, letting go of the other's hand to cross his arms. "Is he buggin' ye? He's not exactly... Stable."

America blinked. That true, him and Russia were never really on the best terms, and it didn't help that the violet-eyed man was also a bit messed up. "We're fine," he finally said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "He showed up to my birthday and got me something, so I've been trying to be nice and all."

"Showed up, huh?" Ireland hummed, scratching at a freckled cheek. "That was quite a good doing for him, then... Mm. Did ye know today is his birthday too?"

America choked on his own spit. "W..What?"

Ireland laughed then, clapping him harshly on the back. "Indeed! Better go wish him a good one! No one ever tries to approach the man on is birthday, so he's always alone. You can be the first, yeah?"

The blonde opened his mouth to retort, only to close it again and look away. Damn, Ireland was right. It was only fair, after all, since Russia gave him a complicated gift too. _Dammit, that means I'll have to get him something special too._ There was a moment of pause, before America finally sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, okay. When exactly-"

"Seven tonight. Don't be late for his little party!" And with that, the redhead grabbed his own briefcase and scuttled out of the room.

America watched him go, biting his lip as he sat in thought. Would Russia murder him? Capture him? Refuse his gift? The possibilities were endless. _It's only nice if you did the same, Alfred. Suck it up like a man!_ With another sigh -what was with him and sighing lately?- the blonde nation bent to grab his belongings and shuffled out the door, heading towards the nearest flower shop.

OOOO

_Knock, knock, knock._

America fiddled with the bouquet as he stood in front of Russia's apartment room, practically swimming in his own sweat. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Why did this matter? All he had to do was hand over the damn sunflowers and walk off, no problem. It was just a birthday thing, not like... A date or anything. He wasn't asking the other nation out, but it sure as hell felt like it. Reaching out to rap impatiently once more at the door, America was startled into silence as it suddenly flew open.

Russia stood in the door, eyes bleary. His hair was a mess, as were his clothes; which was still his beige uniform, America noted. _He sleeps in his day clothes?_

"Америка?"

The smaller blonde coughed, putting on his best smile. "Russia! Good to see you! Happy birthday, these are for you!" Much like Russia had on his birthday, America shoved the flowers into the other's chest. "Since you got me one from your homeland, I got you some from mine. See? We grow them all the time here." Coughing again, America glanced down at his non-existent watch. "Woah! It's that late already? I better go. Bye!" Spinning on his heel, America made to leave, only to be yanked back by a firm grip on his wrist.

"It is only the evening, Америка. Stay, von't you?" Russia stared down at America, violet eyes seemingly innocent. He would've passed off as such, if it weren't for the bone crushing grip on his arm.

"Y-Yeah, sure dude. I'll stay... But uhm.. C.. Could you let go of my arm?" America laughed nervously, and nearly cheered in relief as he felt the hand's grip on him slacken.

"да, of course," Russia giggled, using his lighter grasp on the smaller nation to pull him into the doorway. "I almost forgot how weak jou are! Such a ребенок." The slate-haired man grinned, using his free hand to clutch at the base of the flowers. He pulled the blonde into the apartment room, using the tip of his boot to close the door only moments after.

"Ah, wait!" America flinched as he heard the door shut harshly behind him, attempting to pull his wrist away from the taller country. "Why did you drag me in here?" He questioned, looking around the apartment. Despite Russia's messy appearance, he kept the room in check rather well. After a week of use, it was still in perfect condition. Almost as if he wasn't even really staying in it.

The larger man chuckled again. "For private talk. So dhat nobody can listen in... But tell me, Америка.. How did joy know it vas my birthday?" Russia let go of him then, using both hands to hold the small bundle of sunflowers.

America swallowed dryly, looking away. How was he going to tell Russia that he only just found out today from someone else? Would that upset him? "I... I guess I kind of always knew, man. You know?"

"Alvays knew?" Russia laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Vell dhat is no surprise, coming from jou. Sneaky one, да?" Reaching out, the taller man rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Cпасибо anyvays, comrade. I have not gotten a gift from some'vun other than my own family on my birthday, before." A bright smile graced the paler nation's features; something thought not possible.

The blonde laughed then, smiling back at the other man. "Hey, it's no problem. Just happy... to.. help..." America's brows furrowed, watching in confusion as Russia slowly began to step forward. "Hey, what are you...?" Before he could react, Russia swooped down and grasped either side of America's face, pulling him forwards and capturing him in a sloppy kiss. It was choppy, short and inexperienced, but America couldn't help but let the feeling of butterflies erupt in his stomach as soon as it happened.

A few seconds passed before Russia finally broke the contact, taking a few steps back as he looked down at the shorter blonde. "For the flowers, and for showing up." He giggled again, the sound childish and almost strange coming from someone like him. "Veird, isn't it? Ve vere both alone on our birthdays till one or the other has shown up. How sveet... Like an Amerikan love story." Another smile.

America became flustered then, reaching up to cover his mouth as his face went up in flames. "Y-Y-Y-You-!"

"I kissed jou, да." Russia reached out and grabbed America again, this time dragging him into a tight hug. "If jou turn red like dhat every time jou get kissed, I vill have to do it more often!"

America gasped, face even hotter than before as his former enemy pulled him into another embrace; not unlike he had a few months ago. "Stupid commie," he eventually mumbled, reaching up to wrap his arms around the taller man's neck and return the hug. Why not? If Russia was going to kill him, he would have done it already anyways.

"Capitalist pig," Russia chirped back, squeezing the American tighter. It was a few awkward, silent moments later that America decided to break the silence.

"Hey... Dude?"

"Mmm?"

The blonde nation bit his lip. "Sorry I tried to run off earlier, that wasn't cool. I just thought you'd be mad since I found out your birthday and all." He leaned back a bit so that he could get a good look at Russia's face, before continuing. "But it's not good to be alone on your birthday and stuff, you know? And since you did it for me, well... I thought I'd do it for you too." He smiled then, blue eyes gleaming. "So... Happy birthday," he concluded, leaning forward to kiss the taller man for the second time that night. It was short and sweet, but apparently enough as America watched Russia grow his own happy smile in return.

" спасибо again, comrade," the larger nation said, leaning forward so that his chin rested on America's head. "It means much. If jou are not busy... Perhaps jou could spend some time over, да?"

Though his face wasn't visible, America could almost hear the hope in the other's voice. With a smile, America laughed a small 'Sure, why not' and pulled away from the hug; grabbing Russia's hand and leading him further into the apartment.

He supposed Russia's birthday wasn't that bad either.

* * *

_Blah ending. xD RnR?_

_спасибо__ - thank you_

_ребенок__ - child_

_идиот__ - idiot_

_позднее__ - later/see you soon_


End file.
